Amy
Thank You Solful Fitness~
This is a picture of me at my heaviest weight, my lowest self esteem point and trying to ignore how I looked and felt. It was in 2007. I looked the stereotypical part of the married middle aged working mother of three. Stressed out over my job, my kids, and my life in general. I can remember getting on the scale at my in-laws and seeing it hit 180 pounds and my eyes filling with tears. How had this happened and how would I ever fix it?
My husband and I made a joint resolution to fix things. Eat better and exercise which is supposed to equal weight loss. It worked for him. I watched the pounds fall off him. Meanwhile, I fought the feelings of guilt for going to the gym and having the kids in a daycare setting while I exercised. The frustration of losing a few pounds here and there was terrible. I had a “fitness advisor” who was supposed to guide me and help me reach my goals. I followed “the plan” religiously: cardio and stationary weight machines. It was a painfully slow process. I used to be athletic, why wouldn’t my body just remember how it was supposed to look and forgive me for not taking care of it for the past 10 years?
By the time I was introduced to Lisa I had lost almost 20 pounds on my own. But, I wasn’t really in that great of shape. Lisa was just starting her fusion type group training sessions on Saturday mornings. I was terrified I wouldn’t be able to finish the hour long session or worse, what if I threw up? She watched everyone like a hawk and pointed out corrections when needed and pushed everyone to their limit. Her ability to “read” everyone in the group astounded me. I was hooked. We went from every other week to once a week group sessions. I had finally found what worked for me. I was stronger and fitter. The number on the scale wasn’t an obsession anymore. Keeping that feeling of accomplishment and empowerment was now my focus. It became about setting higher goals for me.
Lisa has taught me that muscle confusion is a good thing and that muscle failure happens and its okay. It’s how my muscles will become stronger. I’ve learned a plank isn’t necessarily something from a pirate’s ship and that a Bosu can be a deceptively challenging item. I’m fitter than I was in my 20’s and happier than I’ve been in a long time. I’ve learned that “I can” is an empowering thing to say to myself.
For people who think they don’t need or want a trainer, I’d tell them to ask themselves this; “How far can I go and how far do I want to go?” My answer to that question was much different before I met Lisa. She has helped me not only see how far I really can go – but also see that I can keep going. Lisa helps quiet the mental boundaries to see beyond what I think I’m capable of. My body will tell me when I can’t go anymore, not my mind. Most of all, Lisa has helped me understand that it’s not really about the number on the scale or the size of my clothes. It’s about learning its okay to take care of myself in order to be a better person, wife and mother. It’s good to take time for myself. Thanks to Lisa and Solful Fitness, today I’m fit and healthy in mind and body. How do I look now? Come to a Saturday group session and see if you can pick me out.